Clock mechanism



93 F. A. FELDKAMP. 1,820,386

CLOCK MECHANISM Filed July 8, 1927 if" .5 16 y Fa I F 0 X :5

. INVENTOR. Ee deli/641A .IZ'Zdfan/v, l BY ATTORNEY p Patented Aug. 25, 1931 FREDERICK a, FnLnKAMnoF nnwnitk NnwIrEnsEiAssreNoR To Emmett oAN'rEL'o I wnrrnjor NEwYoR N; Y.

Application med rui e, 1927; Serial No. 204,246.

This invention relates generally, to improvements in clock mechanism; and the invention has for its principal object to pro Vide a novel means in connection: with an E electrically wound spring actuatedclockwork whereby opposite ends of a single power spring may be respectively used toapply power to dilte rent gear trains, so that the p 7 torque exerted by the spring at one vend may be utilized to actuate the time gear train of p the clock-work, and the torque exerted by the spring atits other end may be utilized to actuate the strike or chime gear train, -while at the same time if so desired the 1 spring-winding power' ot an electric motor may be transmitted to the spring without interrupting or interfering with the operation of either the time gear train or the strike gear train, as the case may be, during the i '20 performance of such electric winding operation; and, furthermore, the novel improvements and arrangements-t0 accomplish said ends being such that winding of the spring by hand may also be accomplished independently of the electric winding operationifit be so desired. v a I Other objects of this invention, not at this time more particularly enumerated, will be clearly understood from the following de- 1 tailed description of the same.

, The invention is clearly illustrated. in the accompanying drawings, in which V Figure 1 is a face view in elevation of a 1 portion of a spring actuated. clock-work em- Ii155 bodying the improvements in one form and arrangement thereof according to this invention; Figure 2 is a transverse vertical section taken on line 22 in Figure 1;'and Figure 3 is a detail sectional view of a novel differential gearing on the motor winding-shaft arranged between the spring-arbor ear and the time gear train of the clock-wor r; v s

Figure 4 is a detail plan View of the novel differential gearing on the motor winding- :4'5 shaft but shown arranged between the spring-barrel gear and the strike gear train ot the clockwork, such arrangement being an alternative to that shown in thepreviously described views.

0 I Similar characters of reference are employed in all of the hereinabove described views to indicate corresponding parts. Reterrmg'now to Figuresl to 3 inclusive, the ;referencecharacters 5 and6 indicate respectivelythe spaced frame-plates of a suitable clock wor k frame, in and between which is 1ournaled the clock-springarbor 7. The

usual spirally wound clock-spring v8 is provided, the inner endof the same being secured to saidarbor 7, andthe outer end of the same being secured to the enclosing spring barrel ,9, the lat-terbeingarranged to rotate freely on said arbor Mounted on said arbor7, andcoupled: therewith by means of the usual ratchet 10 and pawl 11, is the clock-work or time gear train driving gear-wheel 12; the

arrangement being such that the power of the spring may be transmitted through the arbor and ratchet,which are fixed together, to the pawl 11 and thence to the gear-wheel 12, while, nevertheless the arbor maybe turned by hand independently of the gear-Wheel 12 by applying to the squared end 7 of the arbor a suitable clock-key, Ordinarily the gearwheel 12 meshes with a pinion on the spindle 13 of the second gear 14 of the time gear train of the clock-work to thereby transmit the power of the spring to said time gear train. In the novel arrangement of means according to the instant invention, however, such pinion isomitted, and the said second gear 1 1 is driven through a novel difi'erential gearing connected with the winding shaft and forminig apart of the electric motor driven spring winding mechanism, as will now be described.

a The reference characters 15 and 16 indicate respectively suitable bearing extensions connected with the respective frame-plates 5 and 6. .Journaled in and between said extensions '15 and 16' is a winding-shaft 17 uponwhich' is fixed a worm-gear 18 or other element forming a part of a power transmission means through which the power of an electric motor (not shown) may be caused to actuate said winding-shaft. The power transmission means intermediate the motor and saidwinding-shaft 17 is subject to more or less variation, butthe same may be similar to the arrangements shown in either of my co :pending applications for Letters Patent,

viz., application Serial No. 77,203 filed December 23, 1925 or application Serial No. 162,067 filed January 19, 1927 Mounted on said winding shaft in a proper location is a differential gearing, comprising an arm 19 in fixed connection with said winding shaft to extend at right angles thereto and so as to revolve therewith. ltotatably mounted on said arm 19 is the intermediate bevel gear 20. l-totatably mounted on said winding-shaft 17 at one side of and so as to mesh with said intermediate gear 20 is a left bevel gear 21, and rotatably mounted on said windin -shaft 17 at the other side of and so as to mesh with said intermediate gear 20 is a right bevel gear 22. Connected with said bevel gear 21 so as to turn therewith is a pinion 23 adapted to mesh with said spring arbor driven gearwheel 12. tonnected with said bevel gear 22 so as to turn therewith is a gear-wheel 24, adapted to mesh with and drive a gear 25 on the spindle 13 of the second gear 14 of the time gear train.

Secured to the spring-barrel 9 so as to rotate therewith is a strike gear train driving gear-wheel 26, which drives through intermediate pinions 27, 28 and 29, the second gear 30 of said strike gear train, whereby the strike mechanism of the clock is actuated from the barrel attached end of said clockspring 8.

Assuming that the clock-spring 8 is in wound condition, and the winding-shaft 17 is idle, the torque exerted from that end thereof which is attached to the arbor 7 will rotate the latter, and through the ratchet and pawl connection 10-11 will drive the gearwheel 12 from left to right in the example of my instant invention as shown in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings. The spring power thus actuating the gear power-wheel l2 drives the pinion 23 and through it the left bevel gear 21 of the differential gearing, the motion being transmitted through the intermediate bevel pinion 20 to the right bevel gear 22 and the gear-wheel 24, and thence to the gear to actuate the spindle 13 and second gear -1 whereby the time gear train of the clockwork is actuated by the power of the spring 8. The torque exerted from that end of the spring 8 which is attached to thespring barrel 9 will rotate the latter and the gear-wheel 26 coupled therewith. The gear-wheel 26 transmits the power of the spring through the gearing 27, 28 and 29 tothe second gear 30 of the strike gear train of the clock-work so that the latter is properly actuated.

The clock-work may be provided with a winding motor circuit make and break mecha nism of any desired kind which will function periodically to close the motor circuit so that the clock-spring 8 may be rewound at intervals by the motor to restore the spent energy of the same. Examples of automatic motor circuit control means suitable for the purpose are shown in my aforesaid copending applications for United States Letters Patent Serial No. 77,203, filed December L3, 1925 and Serial No. 162,067, filed January 19, 192?.

When the motor circuit is closed and the motor thereupon energized, the power generated thereby is transmitted to the worm gear 18 and winding shaft 17. The rotation of the winding-shaft 17 causes the intermediate pinion 20 to be revolved about the axis of said Winding-shaft thereby reversing the rotation of the left bevel gear 21 and pinion 23 and consequently operating to drive the gear-wheel 12 from right to left so that the pawl 11 transmits the power to the ratchet 10 and arbor 7, thus turning the latter in reverse direction so that the clock-spring 8 is rewound. During this operation the right bevel gear 22 of the differential gearing will continue to rotate in proper direction to ac tuate the time gear train of the clock work, which under such circumstances is driven by the power of the motor while the spring 8 is being rewound, the escapement of the clockwork controlling the movement so that proper clock operation is assured, while the left bevel gear 21 turns at faster speed to effect the spring winding operation in the manner above described. As soon as the motor stops its spring winding function, and the winding shaft 17 comes to rest, the spring power is immediately exerted through the differential gearing to continue the actuation of the time gear train, the transition being instantaneous without the least interruption of the functioning of said time gear train. The winding of the spring 8 on the time gear train end does not in any way interrupt the continued and properly timed operation of the strike gear train from the opposite end of said spring.

It will be obvious, by reason of the fact that the pawl and ratchet connection between the gear-wheel 12 and arbor 7 is provided, that the spring 8 may also be wound by hand at any time, and independent of the motor winding mechanism, by turning the arbor T by means of the usual clock-key applied to the squared end 7 of said arbor.

The differential gearing makes it possible to utilize one end of the clock-spring for driving the time gear train of the clock, and the other end of the same spring for driving other mechanism such as a strike gear train, since the winding of the spring is effected through the same end and the same gearing utilized both for time gear train operation and for spring winding. This is a very novel arrangement, and not only is very effective as a mechanical arrangement, but also admits of considerable saving in clock manufacture since it eliminates necessity of providing ad ditional spring mechanism for auxiliary features of the clock, to say nothing of eliminating the necessity of providing means for winding the additional or auxiliary spring.

It may here be pointed out that it is possible to operate from the respective ends of a given spring more than a single mechanism,

since by connecting with either of the spring driven gear wheels 12 and 26 additional differential gear sets, other auxiliary mechanisms, within reasonable limits as determined by the inherent power of the spring employed, may be driven.

In clock-works that have more gears than the second gear 14 between the spring driven gear wheel 12 and the time gear train, the

- differential may be engaged between the sec- 0nd and third or third and fourth gears, in which case less reduction would be required between the motor and winding-shaft 17; in

other words I do not limit myself to the particular position of the differential gearing between the gear-wheel 12 and time gear train as shown in the accompanying drawings, said drawings being merely illustrative ofone practical arrangement.

Attention must also be directed to the fact that my novel arrangement and construction of clock-work permits of the use of an induction motor floating on the service line if desired; that is, the motor is continuously operating ona closed circuit and the power thereof transmitted directly through the differential gearing to the time gear train vto actuate the latter, while at the same time operating to keep the clock-spring 8 fully wound as a reserve power. Under such circumstances, should the motor circuit be accidentally interrupted or service of current therethrough stopped, the spring 8 immediately'takes over and continues the operation of the clock-work, all of which will be understood by those skilled in theart without necessity of further amplification.

As shown in Figure 4 the differential gear ing may be interposed between the springba-rrel gear and the strike gear train, in which case the motor winding operations are ef-- fected through the barrel connected end of the spring, while the time gear train is actuated by the arbor driven gear Wheel in the ordinary manner. In Figure 4 the reference character 31 illustrates the spring arbor on which is arranged and by which is driven the gear-wheel 32 operating to transmit power throughthe pinion 33 to the second gear 34 of the time gear train. The reference character 35 indicates the spring barrel to which is connected the gear-wheel 36. Mounted on the motor driven winding-shaft 37 is a differential gear-set 38, the pinion 39 of one bevel gear of which meshes with said spring barrel gear-wheel 36, while the pinion 40 of the other bevel gear of which meshes with and drives the strike gear train 41. It will I be evident that this arrangement is merely a reversal of that shown in the main figures of the drawings, and in principles and manner of construction and operation is equivalent thereto, the only difl'erence'being that the clock spring is wound from the opposite or outer end instead of the inner end.

While I have-herein shown and described my novel improved clock-mechanism merely in preferred form and by way of example, it

will be obvious that many changes,m'odifications and adaptations, other than those already above mentioned, may be made therein and in its mode of application to a clockwork and its spring which will be comprised within the spirit of my present invention consequently I do not limit myself to the exact arrangements and combinations of parts hereinabove described, nor do I confine myself to the exact details of the construction of said parts as shown in the accompanying drawings.

I claim In a clock-work, a main spring, spring 6 power transmission means connected with and actuatedby each end of said spring, a

motor driven winding-shaft, a differential gear set comprising a pinion carried by said winding-shaft and a pair of gears rotatably mounted on said winding-shaft and meshing with said pinion, one of said gears cooperating with a power transmission means atone end of said spring whereby spring power may be transmitted to and through said dif- 

